Coronavirus outbreak: Bandh will save us, but may make us starve, says Sena

As the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is taking preventive measures to reduce mass gatherings by shutting down malls, gyms, swimming pools,

As the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is taking preventive measures to reduce mass gatherings by shutting down malls, gyms, swimming pools, schools, etc, to stop the spread of coronavirus, the party’s mouthpiece Saamana on Monday raised concerns over the ‘bandh’, saying a prolonged shutdown will impact the livelihood of the people.

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“There is a widespread fear of coronavirus across the country. People value their lives, but if such a ‘bandh’ continues for a prolonged period, how will people earn? What will they eat? This is a question. People will be saved from coronavirus, but will die of starvation,” said the Marathi daily edited by Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

Maharashtra has reported 39 Covid-19 cases so far, which is the highest in the country. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are the most-affected areas while positive cases were also reported from Mumbai, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Thane and Ahmednagar.

“Pune has the highest [cases]. Should Pune be locked down like China’s Wuhan? It is important to take a decision on this. But currently, the virus is on stage two and it is important to stop the spread in this stage. It should be controlled for the next 30 days. The state must
take whatever tough measures are required to control it,” it added.

The Saamana editorial also said Covid-19 has hit the global economy, and added the pandemic has made the likes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump “nervous” and “unstable”. It added, “Where will this instability lead the world?”